[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 16, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H6819-H6820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 WE ARE WITNESSING TIANANMEN IN TEHRAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Pence) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I come to this floor at a time of 
extraordinary moment on the global stage. According to the Islamic 
Republic News Agency, the official news agency of Iran, President 
Mahmud Ahmadinejad, supposedly won the election over his primary 
opponent on 12 June 2009.
  But from the very moment that that election result was announced, the 
international community and the international press called it into 
question, and the bases for that, even before the extraordinary 
demonstrations had begun to take place, is the fact that these were 
paper ballots, but the official government results of the election were 
announced literally within hours of the polls being closed.
  Various media outlets around the world have questioned the 
authenticity of the results. Mr. Mousavi, the defeated candidate, has 
launched a legal appeal against the election results. On the day of the 
election, mobile phone communications were interrupted. Western media 
has reported ``heavy electronic jamming'' disturbing broadcasts. News 
Web sites were reportedly blocked by Iranian authorities, and the 
Iranian Government has allegedly arrested opposition political figures 
and journalists.
  The Iranian Government has outlawed any protests following 2 days of 
extraordinary unrest. The BBC recently reported that recent rallies in 
the streets of Tehran were the biggest demonstrations in the Islamic 
Republic's 30-year history. The protests, according to news reports, 
became violent, and according to media reports, pro-government forces 
attacked demonstrators in the last 24 hours, causing at least one 
fatality.
  We are witnessing a Tiananmen in Tehran, and the United States of 
America must stand in the gap on behalf of those brave Iranian citizens 
who are standing for free and fair elections, democracy, and basic 
rights. Freedom, in fact, may be flowering in Iran, as hundreds of 
thousands rally for democracy and free elections.
  And while I appreciate President Obama's comments yesterday at the 
White House that he was ``troubled by the violence,'' and his belief 
that the voices of the Iranian people should be ``heard and 
respected,'' it seems by my likes that this administration has yet to 
express the unqualified support of the American people for those who 
are courageously taking to the streets for free elections and for 
democracy in Iran.
  Let me say from my heart, the American cause is freedom, and in this 
cause, the American people will not be silent, here or abroad. If the 
President of the United States won't express the unqualified support of 
our Nation for the dissidents in the streets of Tehran, this Congress 
must.
  Today, I am introducing a resolution that will do just that. It will 
express its concern regarding the reported irregularities of the 
presidential elections of 12 June 2009; condemn the violence against 
demonstrators by pro-government militias in Tehran in the wake of the 
election; it will affirm our belief in the universality of individual 
rights and the importance of democratic and fair elections; and lastly 
and most importantly, Madam Speaker, it will express the support of the 
American people for all Iranian citizens who struggle for freedom, 
civil liberties, and the protection of the rule of law.

[[Page H6820]]

  Believe it or not, in my small town of Columbus, Indiana, I grew up 
next door to a Hungarian immigrant who fled Hungary in the wake of the 
Soviet repression of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. I sat often with 
Julius Perr, now passed away, and heard of the way the Hungarian 
people, inspired by our calls for freedom, stood up for their own 
freedom. And as Bret Stephens recounts in today's Wall Street Journal, 
We stood by idly, we didn't want to interfere, and the Soviet tanks 
rolled.
  We cannot stand idly by, speak of Iran sovereignty, speak of their 
own right to choose their own leadership at a time when hundreds of 
thousands of Iranians are risking their liberty, and even their lives, 
to stand for free elections and democracy.
  Ronald Reagan said, There is no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals 
of the world so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men 
and women. All of us desire a fresh start with Iran, and it seems from 
news reports and the extraordinary images coming from the streets of 
Iran that millions of Iranians long for a new start in their 
government. There is a reformist movement afoot in Iran.
  Today, I will introduce a resolution. I urge all of my colleagues in 
both parties to join me in expressing support for these brave and 
courageous men and women.

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